I apologize for not posting this sooner.
I will not be blogging for at least a week while I'm traveling to support several family members through a difficult time. I will return as soon as I'm able.
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Travel Tuesdays: YOU Be the Helpful Local
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| That's Adam, just before he drove us to a hotel in his big rig. |
In the past, I've written about locals who have helped us when we were traveling. Franco and Caroline helped us deal with medical issues when we were in Sicily. Our tow truck driver, Adam, showed exceptional kindness and also helped us get to a hotel after towing the RV we had rented. I have countless stories like these.
In each of our travels, we have met wonderful, caring people who helped us in one way or another. Today, I invite you to be the helpful local to some traveler.
I was reminded of this while at the beach with my kids last week. My daughter was playing with another girl which led me to chat with her mom. I learned that they were on vacation from Boston for a couple of weeks. While we didn't "help" them, per se, I'd like to think they came away from the experience feeling welcomed in our area.
If you're not sure how to start, read this old post called Meetin' the Locals to get some ideas. Then step out and make some new connections!
How have you helped travelers feel welcomed in your area? Do you have other suggestions for how to break the ice and meet new people?
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Wordless Wednesday: Sunset
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| Photo taken 6 July 2013 |
Wordless Wednesday: Fireworks in St. Louis
Wordless Wednesday: Fair St. Louis Air Show
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Travel Tuesdays: Lessons From the Road, or "Making Lemonade"
Many readers have asked about the outcome of our failed RV trip. In the interest of telling the end of the story, I'll give a brief summary here. Then I'm moving on to better things!
We were stranded in Omaha for two nights. When it became clear that Cruise America was not going to help us, we took matters into our own hands. There was no way we were getting back into their unsafe RV, so we rented an SUV to take us and our gear home.
The financial outcome was this: Cruise America refunded the money we spent to rent their unsafe RV but that's it. In order to get our money back, we had to sign a form that said we weren't entitled to any additional money. They didn't pay for the SUV rental, for the hotels we stayed in when we were broken down, for the food that went bad in the RV when we were in hotels, for the restaurants we had to eat in instead of eating our own food, or for the $130.00 in overages we paid on our cell phones to talk to them (My husband was on hold with them for 73 minutes one of the times...).
Most importantly, they didn't really try to make up for how poorly we were treated. The person who finally refunded our money apologized for what happened to our family but her few words hardly make up for days of mistreatment. She was the only person from Cruise America who ever expressed even the tiniest bit of concern for our family.
Yes, we probably could have sued them and won, but that would mean they'd have all of our rental money in their bank account while we fought it. And frankly, we never want to interact with Cruise America again. I stick by my original statement: NEVER Rent an RV from Cruise America. If you haven't read my original post, please do, and spread the word.
And now, here's a photo collection to show how we made lemonade out of the rotten lemons we got. When things get tough in your life, I hope you'll be able to make a little lemonade, too.
We never made it to the southwest and most of these stops were not in our original plan. Despite a very rough beginning, we had fun and made memories during our two week trip home from Omaha.
When have you had to make the best of a bad situation? How did you "make lemonade?"
We were stranded in Omaha for two nights. When it became clear that Cruise America was not going to help us, we took matters into our own hands. There was no way we were getting back into their unsafe RV, so we rented an SUV to take us and our gear home.
The financial outcome was this: Cruise America refunded the money we spent to rent their unsafe RV but that's it. In order to get our money back, we had to sign a form that said we weren't entitled to any additional money. They didn't pay for the SUV rental, for the hotels we stayed in when we were broken down, for the food that went bad in the RV when we were in hotels, for the restaurants we had to eat in instead of eating our own food, or for the $130.00 in overages we paid on our cell phones to talk to them (My husband was on hold with them for 73 minutes one of the times...).
Most importantly, they didn't really try to make up for how poorly we were treated. The person who finally refunded our money apologized for what happened to our family but her few words hardly make up for days of mistreatment. She was the only person from Cruise America who ever expressed even the tiniest bit of concern for our family.
Yes, we probably could have sued them and won, but that would mean they'd have all of our rental money in their bank account while we fought it. And frankly, we never want to interact with Cruise America again. I stick by my original statement: NEVER Rent an RV from Cruise America. If you haven't read my original post, please do, and spread the word.
And now, here's a photo collection to show how we made lemonade out of the rotten lemons we got. When things get tough in your life, I hope you'll be able to make a little lemonade, too.
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| My "brother" in Sac City, IA (Filipino host brother) |
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| LEGO Land Discovery Center, Kansas City |
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| National WW1 Museum, Kansas City, MO |
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| Toasting Marshmallows, Horse Cave, KY |
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| Diamond Caverns, Kentucky |
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| More spelunking! |
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| We stayed with two of our favorite people in the world. (MD) |
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| "Fanny" by Chuck Close, National Gallery. Made entirely with fingerprints. |
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| I swear they posed that way all on their own! |
When have you had to make the best of a bad situation? How did you "make lemonade?"
Friday, July 19, 2013
Teaching Kids About Racism
I choose to stay out of the fray on the internet when it comes to heated, often unproductive "conversations." You know the ones I'm talking about- the ones when people come out of the woodwork to start name-calling and lobbing insults. I want no part of such disrespectful conversations. Different opinions? No problem. In fact, I embrace them, as long as the message is delivered respectfully.
So when George Zimmerman was found "not guilty," I remained quiet on-line. I watched as the internet and the news media exploded as did my Facebook feed. It's not that I don't want to be part of the conversation. I most definitely do. I just want a thoughtful, respectful conversation. I decided to wait until I was home from vacation to write a thoughtful post on the topic.
On this blog, I can control the overall tone. I choose to let all comments (by humans as opposed to "bots") get posted, and delete them if they are offensive, rude, or SPAM. Polliwog is meant to be a safe place with positive suggestions for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers.
On the last day of our vacation, my husband and I sat with our children over breakfast and talked about Trayvon Martin and the events surrounding his murder. We discussed racism and white privilege. We discussed the Florida law called "Stand your ground." The most difficult part of the conversation was helping our son understand that his best friend WILL encounter racism. It already happened in front of him once and he was unprepared for how to respond. We're talking with him about what he'll do the next time.
This was a difficult discussion. How do you explain that a teenager was killed when he went out to buy skittles? How do you help your son understand that his best friend will be seen as a "scary black man" when he gets older? And what do you do to make the world better in the wake of such news?
For starters, you talk about it. If you are a person of color, you don't need to read my post. You know racism exists. If you aren't a person of color, please open your eyes. Pay attention. Saying you don't see color is disingenuous. As one African American friend told me, (I'm paraphrasing) "Black people talk about racism every day. We say, "listen to what happened to me today...' " If you have white privilege, you don't live it so you don't have have to talk about it. But not talking to your children about racism is dangerous. It perpetuates racism.
I also encourage you to make your children's lives as diverse as possible. If you live in the suburbs or a rural area like us, that can be a challenge. Trust me, I understand. But you can seek ways to invite a variety of people into your kids' lives. Our kids know and love a variety of people, which, for them, made our conversation all the more painful. When thinking about racism, they had to think about their best friends, their "Aunties and Uncles," and their family friends and imagine what they encounter every day.
On final suggestion is to read books with your children that feature diverse characters. Children learn so much about relationships and problem solving through books. I witness this with my kids all the time. Be careful to choose books that accurately portray people of color (or from other cultures). For help with this, see the resources below. I especially recommend books from Lee and Low, though they are certainly not the only publishers of great books about all kinds of people.
It turns out, in the time I chose to wait to write my post, many other people have written thoughtful posts with suggestions. Some of them are long. I know you may not like reading long posts on a computer screen. (I know I don't. I read some in phases). But please make the time. It's important. Our kids need you to read them and take action. Our world needs you to take action.
On the Lee and Low blog: How to Deal With a Racist Remark
On Rage Against the Minivan: What I Want You to Know About Being a Young Black Man in America. This man's story is not unique. A dear friend told me his mom taught him the same lessons, as did all his friend's moms.
On Under the Acacia Tree: I am not Trayvon's Martin's Mom
So when George Zimmerman was found "not guilty," I remained quiet on-line. I watched as the internet and the news media exploded as did my Facebook feed. It's not that I don't want to be part of the conversation. I most definitely do. I just want a thoughtful, respectful conversation. I decided to wait until I was home from vacation to write a thoughtful post on the topic.
On this blog, I can control the overall tone. I choose to let all comments (by humans as opposed to "bots") get posted, and delete them if they are offensive, rude, or SPAM. Polliwog is meant to be a safe place with positive suggestions for parents, teachers, and homeschoolers.
 |
| My son and his best friend Photo by Alison Noyce |
On the last day of our vacation, my husband and I sat with our children over breakfast and talked about Trayvon Martin and the events surrounding his murder. We discussed racism and white privilege. We discussed the Florida law called "Stand your ground." The most difficult part of the conversation was helping our son understand that his best friend WILL encounter racism. It already happened in front of him once and he was unprepared for how to respond. We're talking with him about what he'll do the next time.
This was a difficult discussion. How do you explain that a teenager was killed when he went out to buy skittles? How do you help your son understand that his best friend will be seen as a "scary black man" when he gets older? And what do you do to make the world better in the wake of such news?
For starters, you talk about it. If you are a person of color, you don't need to read my post. You know racism exists. If you aren't a person of color, please open your eyes. Pay attention. Saying you don't see color is disingenuous. As one African American friend told me, (I'm paraphrasing) "Black people talk about racism every day. We say, "listen to what happened to me today...' " If you have white privilege, you don't live it so you don't have have to talk about it. But not talking to your children about racism is dangerous. It perpetuates racism.
I also encourage you to make your children's lives as diverse as possible. If you live in the suburbs or a rural area like us, that can be a challenge. Trust me, I understand. But you can seek ways to invite a variety of people into your kids' lives. Our kids know and love a variety of people, which, for them, made our conversation all the more painful. When thinking about racism, they had to think about their best friends, their "Aunties and Uncles," and their family friends and imagine what they encounter every day.
On final suggestion is to read books with your children that feature diverse characters. Children learn so much about relationships and problem solving through books. I witness this with my kids all the time. Be careful to choose books that accurately portray people of color (or from other cultures). For help with this, see the resources below. I especially recommend books from Lee and Low, though they are certainly not the only publishers of great books about all kinds of people.
It turns out, in the time I chose to wait to write my post, many other people have written thoughtful posts with suggestions. Some of them are long. I know you may not like reading long posts on a computer screen. (I know I don't. I read some in phases). But please make the time. It's important. Our kids need you to read them and take action. Our world needs you to take action.
On the Lee and Low blog: How to Deal With a Racist Remark
On Rage Against the Minivan: What I Want You to Know About Being a Young Black Man in America. This man's story is not unique. A dear friend told me his mom taught him the same lessons, as did all his friend's moms.
On Under the Acacia Tree: I am not Trayvon's Martin's Mom
On Rage Against the Minivan: Finding Justice for Trayvon: Seven Actions Steps for Our Outrage
And here are some sites that offer general information:
Teaching Tolerance: "A place for educators to find thought-provoking news,
conversation and support for those who care about diversity, equal opportunity
and respect for differences in schools." My favorite resource for educators on this topic.
RACE-Are We So Different? A new look at race through three lenses: history, human variation, lived experience. (Includes a section for kids aged 10-13).
RACE-Are We So Different? A new look at race through three lenses: history, human variation, lived experience. (Includes a section for kids aged 10-13).
Code Switch: Frontiers of Race, Culture, and Ethnicity
CBC Diversity: "Advocating for an inclusive and representative children’s
publishing industry"
Coloring Between the Lines: Reflections on race, culture, and children's books.
I hope you'll add your own suggestions and ideas in the comments. Please do not debate the Trayvon Martin case here. Please stick to helpful comments and suggestions.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
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